Expert: Peter L. - 9/21/2010

Question
Hello,

I have a question about drug use that I Really hope you can answer. A brother of mine has sampled some drugs lately, and he said he didn't really feel much or anything from them. I was wondering if somehow they still could have cause damage to the brain which could manifest themselves latter, or is this impossible without him having had a really drug EXPERIENCE? Is the
getting" high part itself the sign that the brain is reacting to it, or can the brain interact with the drugs even without someone noticing it?
Thanks for any and all information.
Your Friend

Answer
Well, that's an interesting question, Jude.  I would not want to take anything unless I knew what its effects were, and what harm might arise from my taking it.

I would say, though I'm no authority on this, that it's possible to incur some physical health consequences from a drug even though there's no perceived mind or mood altering.  

The other thing is, if your brother didn't get the effect he was looking for from those substances, doesn't it stand to reason he'll not try them again?  Most of the damage from addictive substances occurs with long-term, chronic use.  So if he doesn't routinely use those drugs because they don't work, he shouldn't have to worry about damaging his brain.

I hope he'll give up this experiment!

Best,
Peter